PEORIA — Don Saltsman, a longtime state representative from Peoria and one of the staunchest advocates for firefighter benefits in the state of Illinois, died Thursday. He was 80.

“I don’t think anyone did more for the firefighters,” said state Rep. David Leitch, R-Peoria, who overlapped with Saltsman in the General Assembly for 10 years. “We used to call him in Springfield the ‘Great Fire Suppressor.’ His importance can’t be understated for what he did for firefighter benefits down in Springfield, which can be controversial today.”

Indeed, friends and former colleagues reflecting on his life uniformly recalled two things — his benevolence to the firefighter cause and his advocacy for South Peoria, where he spent much of his life.

Saltsman was elected as state representative for the 92nd District in 1980 and served in that capacity for 16 years until his narrow Democratic primary defeat to Ricca Slone in 1996. Prior to his notoriety as a politician, Saltsman was a well-known firefighter and union president who always championed the cause of organized labor.

His sympathies always were with organized labor, even ones beyond the firefighters’ union, said state Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria. From his time with the Peoria Area Labor Management (PALM), Koehler remembered an instance where Saltsman held up the entire budgeting process in Springfield until PALM got the state funding that other labor groups in Illinois routinely received.

“He went to bat for us,” Koehler said.

Many will remember the brash tenor of Saltsman’s politics as much as his accomplishments. Mincing words was never his style, according to several former colleagues, and people always knew where they stood with him.

“Don could be kind of gruff,” said former state Rep. Mike Smith, D-Canton. “He was not an orator at Springfield. But when he spoke, he was listened to.”

“He was very loud and direct in expressing his interests,” Leitch said. “But we certainly did not disagree with helping out the (Peoria) community.”

Often forgotten amid his political and union achievements was Saltsman’s athletic prowess. Blessed with a large stature, he regularly played in elite national fast-pitch softball leagues as a catcher. Chuck Thome, father of former Major League Baseball player Jim Thome, traveled with Saltsman to softball games across the Midwest while mostly playing against him. Driving back and forth to tournaments in the Quad Cities, Thome fondly recalled the road trips together.

Those that had seen him recently knew Saltsman’s health had been declining — the massive stature he was remembered for had dwindled.

“I always knew him as a giant of a man, and he had lost a lot of weight,” said Phil Salzer, a friend of Saltsman and a Peoria County Board member.

Page 2 of 2 - But his outsized personality and the imprint he left on Peoria won’t be forgetten.

“He couldn’t have been better to our people,” Salzer said. “He never forgot his roots.”

Thomas Bruch can be reached at 686-3188 or tbruch@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @ThomasBruch.